Theme in this “completely made-up story”? The idea is that your personal life experience has taught you something that you’d reveal/use in your story. (IF you look over the RUBRIC as Kelsey has done.) It isn’t to be about you personally, but something you’ve learned–like being honest, being a friend, revenge, etc. If you draw a theme from a personal experience, then it’s more real in the story and your characters will demonstrate the theme much more clearly and with greater depth.

Think of Douglas in Dandelion Wine–haven’t you begged your parents for something and were denied? Because of that experience, you can relate to Douglas in a more personal way. It creates that pathos that Bradbury is wanting to reveal in Douglas because as the reader, we understand what he is going through. He is wanting to “fit in” and “catch up” with his friends. We’ve all experienced this at one time or another. The theme–the coming of age and maturity–means more to you as a reader this way.

So if “good wins” or “bad is defeated” in your story, you are using a theme.